Had my testdrive and well chuffed... here is a brief review...
After having about 30-40 mins drive this sat, here is a short review with good and bad points.
Obviously it wont be as in depth until ive driven one for a few months but i`ll try my best.
The one I drove was a demo car which had been sold,
Phantom black, Tech pack, TV, Aluminum inserts, FCA, RS4 Bucket seats, Full leather with approx 2500 miles on a 06 plate wearing Pirelli P Zero tyres.... yummy.
The car was fully cleaned upon arrival and looked subtle in black but also aggressive from certain angles. My personal opinion is that darker colours hide the width of the car, the wheel arches dont seem to appear as wide as they do on colours like Misano/Blue/Yellow etc. For the owners who dont want to stand out too much this would be a better option to go for along with Daytona, Mugello.
I personally have gone for the Sprint blue, felt that on a 50k+ car it should "shout" alittle more. :p and the attention doesnt bother me too much, the RS4 has been heavly advertised than the B5 so most will know what a RS4 is, even if it is in a more subtle colour than Sprint Blue.
Before I drove the RS4 I had the impression that it would take me longer than 30 - 40 mins to get used to the mechanics of the car, clutch, brake feel, gearing, throttle and steering responses... I was very suprised to find out that it was very easy to drive, even at low speeds in the car park of the dealership. It didnt "make" you feel that it would be a handful to drive. It didnt scare me like a M3 does, Ive always put safety before fun in a car and quatto 4WD feels safer to me than a RWD car does....
Adjusted the seats and mirrors with ease just like most Audi`s, a point to note is that the RS4 bucket seats could cause problems with owners who are broader than myself... also getting in and out without rubbing on the side bolsters wont be easy for most, again not really a problem for myself.
The sound of the engine and exhaust, even at idle it sounded amazing, really gives the car a unique sound/character, abit like the Golf R32 or M3 etc. My cousin who owns a BMW M3 instantly commented that it was way better compared to his M3, not just on the sound of the engine but the interior fit and design, comfort and ride quality.. the list was endless.... he seemed very overwhelmed about the RS4
Doing the national speed limit (70mph) was easy and the car wasnt one bit stressed, the ride comfort was amazing for a car of this nature given its performance.... going around round-a-bouts it was very surefooted and felt un-settled by pot holes etc. Steering feedback and response was pin sharp and I really couldnt find a fault with it, either at high speeds or parking speeds.
The gear box reminded me of my Audi S3 box, slick and smooth but with more percision, very short throws from gear to gear... again nothing I could fault as a major point, small issue could be slight wobble (2-5mm) when in a gear... hard to explain but didnt really make much difference in its performace as a whole. The knob was very solid and chunky... very classy.
The brakes were out of this world and they "grab" really hard when you even slightly touch the pedal... this could be a problem for people with a twitchy foot... :rolleyes: perhaps they will feel alittle "softer" once they have worn in alittle more.... again not really a bad point here....
The throttle respone was smooth and consistant as the revs went higher and lower (couldnt detect any flat spots).... again reminded me alittle of the R32 and M3, smooth liner power with no turbo lag.... but youve got to keep a eye on the rev needle as it really does fly around the dials...
I personally love the way Audi are going to focus more on N/A engines now and have dropped turbo-charged models for the RS range.... the RS4 engine is a peech.
The clutch was light and very easy to use... too easy actually as it feels very light.... could take some people time to get used to it if they are coming from a car which has a heavy clutch. Again reminded me abit of the S3 clutch.
The DRC system was very subtle and you couldnt tell if its working or not.... so pretty much a "undercover" system..... top marks to Audi for not making the car feel to0 un-natural using DRC. When it comes to the handling or chasis feedback again top marks give that this car is heavy and a saloon. The weight of this car is about 1650kgs and it doesnt at all feel heavy/nose heavy when cornering... a similar trait to the Golf R32.... feels light and stable at speed, not phased by crosswinds etc.
The Sat Nav+ system was very professional and easy to read, took me awhile learning the basic controls of the unit but wasnt hard to grasp... shame Audi didnt allow DVD movie playback on it or offer Digital TV modules. Also should have been standard on a top model like this....
The cruise control is just like most others, so nothing to report here.
The armrest was standard with nothing out of the ordinary, when folded back doesnt get in the way of the handbrake lever unlike BMW ones.
The exhausts could well be a problem to mentain as the car really does chuck out alot of dirt and the same goes of the allow wheels..... extra effort will be required to keep them clean
Well I suppose im pretty much in agreement with most magazine reviews.....
For current S4 and B5 RS4 owners this could be a tricky car to upgrade to.... is it worth the extra money??? Im not sure and its down to personal choice... for new owners like myself its a good buy and ticks all my requirements....
Here are some pictures, if you have any questions please feel free to ask and i`ll try my best....
Riz
